Dave hauled Ken away from Brant while Seth pulled Brant away from waging
an attack on Ken. The twins struggled against those trying to keep them
out of a fight. Ken wrested himself free of Dave’s hold as he glared at
his brother.

“I want you out of here. You have no right being here, Brant,” Ken declared
harshly.

“You’re not here for anyone but yourself. You just want to look good
in Blake’s eyes because she’s the only person you haven’t pissed off lately,”
Ken snapped as he started forward again only for Dave to restrain him once
more.

“Brant, why don’t you do us a favor here and just take a walk for a
few minutes?” Dave suggested, “Let me talk to Ken.”

“It won’t do any good. I’m not going to let him stand here and act like
he gives a damn about Caitlin. He’d rather see her die than live anyway,”
Ken snarled as he tried to attack his twin once more.

“Kenny, stop it,” Blake demanded as she got between her brothers, “Both
of you just stop it! I won’t have you two tearing one another apart while
my best friend lies upstairs in the ICU in god knows what kind of shape.
I won’t have it!” She raised her voice as she looked between the twins,
“Stop it right now, or I swear to god I’ll have security drag both of you
out of here.”

“Blake,” Ken began.

“Just stop it, Kenny,” She warned before she looked back to Brant, “I
appreciate your being here, but obviously there’s something going on between
you and Kenny that I don’t know about. We’ll deal with all of that later,
but right now, I really just want to feel support for Caitlin in this room.
There’s no place for animosity here.”

Brant nodded, “Whatever you say, sweetheart,” He leaned in and kissed
his sister on the cheek, “I’ll go for now, but if you need me for anything
at all, you call me, okay?”

“I am tired, but I’m not leaving until I know that Caitlin’s going to
be all right,” Blake replied, “Seth and I were just going to go down to
Irvan’s to get a bite to eat.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Annie nodded as she looked to Seth, “And
bring back something for Ken. He looks like he could use something himself.”

“Yes ma’am,” Seth nodded as he escorted Blake out of the waiting room
as well.

Annie looked towards Ken as she closed the distance between them, “You’re
not behaving like yourself at all, young man.”

“Brant just goes too far,” Ken declared as he sank down into a lumpy
sofa, “He doesn’t know when to quit, but I will not let him stand here
and act like he cares. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

“Ken, that’s not true. He’s worried about Caitlin’s welfare,” Annie
attempted to defend Brant, “He and Caitlin might not get along, but he
would never wish a tragedy like this upon anyone.”

“Wouldn’t he? He’s just like Dad was. If he thought for one moment that
Caitlin was in his way where Avery’s concerned, he’d make sure that she
was removed from his path permanently,” He sighed with disgust.

“Ken, do you suspect that Brant had something to do with this attack?”
Dave asked as he sat beside his friend.

Ken frowned as he shook his head, “No, Blake was there and saw this
Jimmy guy still with Caitlin. Brant didn’t have anything to do with it,
but I guarantee you that if he had been the one to interrupt the attack,
he wouldn’t have stopped it.”

“Ken, what is going on with you and Brant? I’ve seen you two at odds
with one another, but I’ve never seen you let loose on him like this,”
Dave spoke as he studied his friend.

“Maybe I’m just sick of the way his life invades everyone else’s. I
put my life on hold to go make sure that he wasn’t making matters worse
with Avery, and what do I get in return? He starts blaming my girlfriend
for all of his problems. He will lash out at anyone he thinks is a threat
to getting what he wants. I’m just sick of it,” Ken admitted with a heavy
sigh, “I just want to be able to live my life without some of Brant’s drama
seeping into my world. Is that really so much for me to ask?”

“No, honey, of course not,” Annie empathized as she placed her hand
upon his shoulder, “But it’s in these times when we have to look out for
your brother. You have the strength of this family, but Brant doesn’t.”

“That’s part of my problem, Annie. I’m tired of trying to clean up his
messes. I’m tired of making excuses for him,” Ken shook his head and closed
his eyes, “I’m just tired.”

Annie looked to Dave, “Could you give us just a moment?”

Dave nodded, “Sure. I’ll go check on Caitlin’s condition.”

After Dave left the room, Annie took his place on the sofa and directed
Ken’s eyes towards hers, “You have to stop taking on all the burdens of
your brother. I’ve told you before that it would only drag you down and
make you miserable, Ken. I’m seeing now that maybe I didn’t give that warning
soon enough, but I refuse to let you do this to yourself. Let Brant lead
his own life…no matter where it takes him.”

“The problem is that I just can’t do that, Annie, because Brant doesn’t
just try to wreck his own life. He wants to take half the world down with
him,” Ken met her eyes sadly, “I can’t help but feel that if I hadn’t taken
Caitlin to that island with me to try to fix Brant’s problems,” He paused,
“I just don’t think this would have happened.”

“You’re blaming yourself for this? Ken, this is not your fault,” Annie
explained as she touched his cheek, “You cannot blame yourself for this.”

“Can’t I? The last time I saw her, Annie,” He shook his head, “I just
wasn’t very cordial to her. I pretty much sent her packing, and I have
to wonder if I didn’t somehow set her up for this. She was probably preoccupied
with the way I acted towards her, and her defenses were probably down.”

“Ken, stop it. Stop it right now,” She demanded, “You did not do this.
A psychopath did. You wouldn’t have had any control even if you had been
with her. Who knows? He might have hurt you both,” She reasoned, “So stop
this second guessing yourself. You are not responsible for this, Ken.”

He turned his eyes away from her and sadly gazed at the floor, “Then
why can’t I shake this feeling that this is all my fault?” He asked.

Annie gathered her surrogate son into her arms as he began to softly
cry, “Because you love her, and you wish you could take away all her pain.
You want to be able to suffer along with her to make her troubles a bit
less. But I promise you, sweetheart, that this is not your fault, and everything
will be all right. We just have to keep praying.”

Ken held onto his caretaker and cried into her soft embrace. He would
pray for Caitlin’s speedy recovery, and he would pray that she would forgive
him for whatever role he may have played in her pain.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cameron pressed the call button for the elevator and stood back to wait
for the next available car. He checked his watch, knowing that Doug would
be present in Kipp’s room since it was well past his normal meal time.
Meeting him eye to eye would be nothing short of explosive which was what
Cameron was counting on.
“Mr. Stone?”

Cameron glanced over to the source of the voice, “Yes, do I know you?”

“No, but I thought we should meet. I’m Dr. Diego Hernandez,” Diego spoke
as he offered his hand for a handshake.

Cameron shook the doctor’s hand, “And why would you think we needed
to meet?”

“She…” Cameron eyed Diego more carefully, “Really? And just why would
she be seeing you?”

“I can’t divulge the content of our sessions, but,” Diego met Cameron’s
eyes, “I would like to ask that you take special care of her.”

“Really?” Cameron asked as the elevator doors opened. After the people
on board disembarked, the men stepped inside. Cameron looked to Diego as
the doors closed, “And why would you be worried about how I would treat
my bride?”

“She’s in a fragile state right now,” Diego relayed.

“Ah, so you’re worried about the baby. I can assure you that I want
the best for both Heather and the baby. We’re going to make a very happy
family,” Cameron assured the doctor with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Dr. Hernandez. My wife will be well taken care of,” Cameron
advised him before stepping off the elevator and walking towards the intensive
care unit. So Heather had been talking to a shrink…he’d have to keep a
closer eye on his intended bride.

He made his way around the corner and spotted Douglas standing in Kipp’s
room. He knocked gently upon the door before stepping inside, “Douglas,
I thought I’d come by and see if there had been any progress.”

“Don’t you mean you’ve come by to gloat?” Douglas asked as he glanced
up to his step-son, “I know you, Cameron, and sympathy is not in your nature.”

Cameron closed the door behind him and leaned back against the door,
“Whether you believe it or not, I do have Kipp’s best interests at heart.”

“You don’t have anyone’s best interests at heart…not even your own,”
Douglas rolled his eyes, “So why are you really here, Cameron? Hoping you
could come by and push a few of my buttons to send me over the edge?”

“You think much too highly of yourself, Douglas. I didn’t come by because
of you at all,” Cameron spoke as he crossed his arms, “But while I was
here, I thought I’d check on Kipp. I take it there’s been no change.”

“Wishing he were dead?” Douglas countered, sensing an ulterior motive
for Cameron’s visit.

“Of course not. I want him to recover. He does have a child coming into
the world, after all.”

“You’re not buying into that slut’s tale, are you?” Douglas scoffed,
“Whatever claims she might have about my son, I can assure you that child
in no way belongs to Kipp.”

“Just because you wish something not to be true doesn’t make it so,”
Cameron grinned, “She is with child, and it is Kipp’s flesh and blood.”

“Is this why you came by? Hoping to gloat over Kipp’s poor choice of
companionship?”

“No,” Cameron replied, “Why do you assume that I came by to do anything
dastardly? Can’t I just be worried about my brother’s welfare?”

“If you were any other man, that could be a possibility, but I know
you too well, Cameron. You’re just like your father with your desire to
destroy everything you see,” Douglas stood as he spoke, wanting to get
on a level playing field with his step son, “I’ll be damned if I’ll let
you exploit Kipp’s condition for your advantage.”

“Bold words spoken from a man who’s been holding a bedside vigil with
his son,” Cameron met Doug’s harsh eyes, “You don’t control the world,
Douglas, no matter how much you might wish you could, and I’m not intimidated
by you. In fact, you have no idea what I could do to your family in the
blink of an eye.”

“Don’t you dare threaten me,” Douglas warned as he stood eye to eye
with Cameron, “You’re a little man, Cameron, with little influence and
less power. You don’t have any influence over my life, and I don’t give
a man about you or your antics. You’re insignificant in the grand scheme
of things, and I can promise you that you’ll never have any hold over me.”

Cameron raised an eyebrow, “Are you really so sure of that? I can make
life very difficult for you, Douglas, and I’d hate to think that you’d
risk everything you treasure just for a chance to trump me.”

“I don’t have to risk anything to deal with you,” Douglas snorted as
he backed away from Cameron, “You’re like a pesky fly, Cameron. All I have
to do is swat you away to be rid of you.”

Cameron met Douglas’s eyes, “You’re going to regret your treatment of
me, and I guarantee you that you and Kipp will suffer for it.”

“Don’t you dare threaten Kipp,” Douglas warned as his paternal instincts
raged forth and he seized Cameron’s collar, shoving him harshly against
the door, “I’ll break you into little pieces if you ever dare to threaten
Kipp.”

Cameron met Doug’s raging eyes before he tore himself out of his step
father’s grasp. Cameron quickly stepped out of the room and adjusted his
tie as he cast a glance back towards the room, “Don’t say I didn’t warn
you, Douglas,” He spoke even as he made his way to the elevator. He knew
what had to be done, and it had to be done tonight before he lost any more
precious time in his quest to torture Douglas Mahoney.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Johanna sat down beside Zack and placed a cup of coffee on the small
table before him. She reached out to him and lightly brushed her fingers
through his hair, noting his tired appearance and knowing that even if
she asked him to he wasn’t going to rest until his sister was on the road
to recovery.

“Zack, I got you a cup of decaf,” She spoke softly, wondering if he
was registering even one word of what she was saying, “I didn’t think caffeine
was a good idea since you haven’t eaten anything. The last thing you need
right now is the jitters brought on by caffeine,” She eased her hand down
to his shoulder, “Zack?”

Zack looked to the woman beside him and studied her features for a moment,
“Why are you here?”

“I thought you could use the support. Once I heard what happened with
Caitlin,” She paused, “My first thought was to find you.”

He turned his eyes back to the coffee in front of him, “I just can’t
believe this is happening to her. Caitlin is the sweetest person in the
world. She doesn’t deserve this. She never did.”

“I don’t understand,” She said softly as she watched him stare at the
coffee.

“Her ex-boyfriend, Jimmy. He abused her during their relationship, and
now he’s found her again. He’s trying to kill her,” He answered somberly
as he sipped his coffee.

“Jimmy…” She paused, “Oh my…that explains a lot about why Caitlin worked
for the travel magazine even though I asked her a dozen times to come to
work for me.”

Zack nodded, “She didn’t want anyone to know…not even me,” He met Johanna’s
eyes, “She was embarrassed, and you know how Caitlin can be. She doesn’t
want to ever feel like she’s placing a burden on someone else. I guess
some people might call it pride, but…”

“Caitlin’s not like that,” Johanna finished his thought, “She was always
looking out for everyone’s best interests when she was hanging around,”
She half smiled, “I’ve kind of missed those little cocktail parties we
had back in Seattle when Caitlin was in town. It’s strange how you can
have so much fun and not even be doing much of anything at all.”

He smiled, “Caitlin could always lighten the mood and bring laughter
to a situation.”

“Maybe we’ll have to all get together when she’s better to have one
of those little parties,” She offered, “I’m sure Caitlin wouldn’t mind
a party to celebrate her recovery.”

“If she recovers,” He said sadly, “Jo, I’m really scared that she’s
not going to be okay. I just worry that maybe she’s been through too much.
Maybe this is one time too many. Maybe…”

“Maybe you worry too much,” She pointed out as she guided his eyes to
meet hers, “Caitlin’s going to come out of this. She’s a fighter, Zack.
You’ve always said that she had the strength of the world within her. You
can’t stop believing that now.”

Zack looked back to his coffee, “Thank you.”

“For what?” She asked in confusion.

“For being here. For reasoning with me. For supporting me,” He answered
as he slowly allowed his eyes to meet hers.

“I love you, Zack. I know you have a hard time believing that one, or
maybe you just didn’t want to believe it. Nevertheless, it’s true. And
I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere other than right here by your side when
you need me,” She explained as she gently eased her hand over his cheek,
“You look so tired. Isn’t there somewhere here at the hospital where you
can lie down just for a bit?”

“I can’t sleep right now,” He frowned as he closed his eyes and accepted
her comforting caress, “I won’t be able to sleep until I can see Caitlin.”

“Then I think maybe we should go upstairs and see if they have her in
her room,” She offered him a soft smile, “I’ll go get your parents some
coffee and bring up in a few minutes, okay?”

“Fair enough,” Zack smiled in response as she stood and started to walk
towards the cafeteria, “Jo? Thanks again.”

“None are necessary,” Johanna smiled as she turned and made her way
towards the cafeteria. Somehow fate had seen fit to throw them back together
again, and if her suspicions were correct, being in the same town together
wasn’t the only curveball fate had thrown them. Only those suspicions would
have to wait as right now, she needed to support Zack and show him that
they had always been right for one another even if he wanted to deny it
to himself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“I hope you’re ready for what I’ve got in store for you baby,” Russell
announced emerging from the kitchen with an oversized bowl of popcorn in
hand grinning goofily as he saw Avery laying out over the couch tucked
in beneath the blanket where he’d left her moments earlier.

“What do you think,” she questioned in a flirty tone snuggling into
his pajama shirt as she sat up straighter patting the couch beside her,
“I’ve been keeping your spot warm.”

“So I see,” he couldn’t help but smile as he slid in beside her careful
not to spill the buttery popcorn over the couch as he wrapped an arm around
her, “so are you ready to see what I’ve got all set up for us?”

“Don’t you know it,” she leaned in against his chest dipping her hand
down into the bowl of popcorn in his lap as a smile lifted over her features,
“Just for the record I have to say that this was a fabulous idea I had
about tonight.”

“What do you mean idea that you had,” he poked at her gently hearing
the giggle that rose up inside of her, “It was all my idea I’ll have you
know…”

“Hardly,” she shook her head up at him continuing to tease him, “I’m
the one who said we should come home and do just this…”

“Now that might be true, but I’m the one who put the idea right here,”
he touched her forehead before his lips grazed the spot his finger had
been, “as I was your muse this time around if you look at it that way.”

“Hmm, well since you’ve told me time and time again that I’ve been
your muse,” she fished out another handful of popcorn dropping it into
her mouth, “I guess we’ll let that one slide this time.”

“I’ll give you let it slide,” he tickled at her ribs as she wiggled
beside him nearly losing her popcorn in the moment.

“Russ, come on. You don’t want to get this butter all over the
couch baby,” Avery threw him a quick pout, “as it’ll be a pain to clean
up.”

“Point well taken,” he decided with a nod as his eyes cast over her
for a long moment before an idea sparked in his head, “though I think we’ve
got this arrangement all wrong.”

“Oh?” Avery lifted a curious brow, “How do you figure?”

“Because I was kind of hoping I could sit there,” he motioned to the
couch cushion that she was seated in.

“Right here,” she turned her dark eyes up towards him.

“Yes,” he nodded eagerly, “right in that very spot as I kind of had
this all set up in my head.”

“Down to the last detail?” she gave him a strange look, “Russ, I really
don’t think it matters where we sit tonight as we’re together and that’s
what counts.”

“Usually I’d agree, but right now,” he set the popcorn bowl aside pulling
it out of her reach despite her protests before he hoisted her up off of
the couch into his arms as he took a seat where she’d been previously occupying
the cushion. Now as he settled in on the couch, he eased her into
his lap urging her to lay her back into his chest as he stretched his fingers
out to the coffee table collecting the bowl of popcorn once again and handing
it over to her, “this is much better.”

“Okay, so you win that one,” Avery decided holding the bowl in her
lap as she snuggled in over him munching away on the popcorn he’d brought
for them to nibble on during their movie time, “So what are we watching
tonight?”

“That’s the surprise,” he explained cryptically reaching for the remote
as he held her more completely in his arms, “as I was thinking about some
of the things we enjoyed in the past with one another.”

“Such as,” she inquired tilting her head up to look at him as his smile
expanded and she shook her head at the way he was looking at her, “I’m
in trouble aren’t I?”

“Not really,” he shrugged his shoulders turning on the television as
Avery focused on the television set before her. Watching as the opening
music began to play a gasp fell from her lips as the scene opened up and
she eyed a woman being chased through what appeared to be some kind of
basement boiler room area terrified by what was following her. Her
eyes widened in response as she immediately turned to watch the expression
on Russell’s face once again, “Nightmare on Elm Street?”

“That’s right,” he nodded unable to contain the chuckle that built
up inside of him.

“Russ, why this?” Avery gave him a strange look, “I thought that you’d
talked about a night of unwinding, not of horror.”

“Honey, every time we have a horror film on, well, I just know that
it’ll be reason enough to get you even closer to me as you do this thing
when you’re trying not to be afraid where you squeeze me and…” he began
to defend his reasoning for the movie selection.

“I so do not,” she shook her head in response, “as this movie doesn’t
scare me. Granted when we were younger…” she stopped suddenly realizing
why he’d chosen such a film for them and another gasp rose up from inside
of her, “Russ, you’re thinking about the last time we’d tried to watch
this, aren’t you? That’s what this is about isn’t it?”

“Maybe,” he shrugged his shoulder simply as a laugh swept over him,
“okay yeah I was totally thinking about that night at my parent’s place…”

“When you’d worked up the courage to finally ask me to make things
official between us,” Avery couldn’t help but smile at the thought as she
lifted up the popcorn bowl setting it aside on the table once again as
she shifted in his arms turning to face him as his finger tips teased into
her dark hair.

“You were all I could think about and I couldn’t think of a better
time than when my parents went away for that week to ask you to be mine,”
he remembered fondly, “Sure, we’d flirted around the issue between us and
made out more times than I can even remember, but still we’d kind of kept
the friends status between us.”

“But you knew even back then that we were sure a hell of a lot more
than friends,” Avery added with a soft smile as her gaze lingered to his
lips, “as we’ve always been more than just friends.”

“Yes, in our own way we have,” he agreed thinking back to the time
when he’d been so eager to share his heart with her, “and I mean sure you’d
spent more time than your parents wanted you to with me back then, but
we always kept finding a reason to keep from placing a label on what we
had between us…”

“Yes we did as that seems to have been a trend with us,” she sighed
heavily glancing over at the television set as his fingers tapered off
over her spine.

“But it’s one we won’t be keeping with us in the future,” he assured
her squeezing her over him gently.

“I was just too damn stubborn for my own good,” she confessed listening
to the strong, solid sounds of his heart beating beneath her.

“Gee, you’re just now figuring this out,” he teased as she poked at
his ribs.

“Hey, watch it,” she threw him a warning look, “or else I might start
remembering how pitiful that night turned out there for us…”

“You mean when Grady walked in and caught us making out on the couch
after you accepted my proposal to make us official?” he arched a curious
brow.

“God, that was just mortifying,” Avery groaned in response, “though
in having Grady find me half naked like that with you, it wasn’t the worst
of it as that all came into play when he and the rest of his college buddies
came prancing in for the party he’d planned for the evening.”

“I think that was my parent’s way of keeping me in check there as I
think they knew how dangerous it has always been for me to be alone with
you,” he goaded her watching as she propped herself up a bit and glared
down at him.

“It’s dangerous for you to be alone with me,” she huffed shaking her
head at him, “Russell Denton, you’re the one who had it in you to find
a way into my pants more times than I care to recall.”

“It wouldn’t have been that many times if you wouldn’t have kept saying
no,” he teased back as she swatted at him as a groan spilled over her lips.

“You never quit, do you,” she shook her head at him, “I mean seriously
I think you’ve always been a complete pain in the ass as you‘re relentless.”

“Maybe so, but in my being so relentless I managed to win you over,”
he reminded her proudly, “as it’s been that desire to spend my life with
you that’s motivated me to do some crazy things over the years.”

“Crazy doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Avery laughed at the thought
as she settled in against his chest once again bringing her fingers over
the warmth of his body, “though I do have a confession to make…”

“What’s that baby,” he kissed the top of her head while savoring the
simple pleasures that came from holding her in his arms.

“I’m glad you did all those crazy things,” she admitted honestly as
she squeezed her arms around him tighter, “as there’s no place else in
this world that I’d rather be then where I am with you right now.”

“Neither would I,” he promised her with a soft smile as he held her
in his arms, “as you know this is forever Avery.”

“I know it is,” she whispered in response staring lazily at the television
as she watched the scene unfold before her. “Ugh, I don’t know how
I ever thought this was frightening there. Why I wanted us to watch
this particular movie that night is just beyond me…”

“I think you were just lusting over Johnny Depp,” he quipped with a
teasing wink, “as I always knew the guy would be some serious competition
for me.”

“Well, I do have to admit, he was rather adorable, but since he turned
out to be completely wrong for me,” she turned her eyes up to him once
again, “I’m glad that you still wanted to have me around.”

“How could I not,” he curled his finger underneath her chin urging
her lips towards his as he teased further, “after all Demi Moore was taken.”

“Oh you,” she swatted at him unable to contain her laughter as there
was just something about him that always seemed to turn a situation around
for her. Even now as she found herself gazing down into his sparkling
green eyes, she couldn’t help but be drawn in by the adorable grin that
settled in over his handsome features. There was just something about
the man before her that made her heart melt time and time again even when
he was trying to be cute.

“Hey I could’ve said Sharon Stone,” he teased further watching the
way her lips curled in protest as she sat upright on his stomach glaring
down at him.

“That’s it,” she bunched up the center of his shirt in her fist shaking
her head at him, “Russ Denton, that’s not even funny.”

“I wasn’t kidding,” he feigned seriousness as he curled his arms around
her, “Sharon Stone’s pretty hot there. I mean granted she has that
whole lunatic femme fatale thing going in some films there, but still she‘s…”

“You couldn’t handle a woman like Sharon Stone,” she tugged at the
fabric she’d been holding urging him closer to her in a kiss.

“True,” he agreed nibbling on her lower lip his hands playing over
her hips and up underneath his shirt, “as sometimes I can barely keep up
with you.”

“Oh please,” she rolled her eyes in response, “you’re always the one
pushing for me to become the femme fatale that you’re lusting over.
Come to think of it, maybe that’s what’s really going on,” she curled her
lip in a pout breaking away from their kiss, “Maybe you’re imaging I’m
Sharon Stone…”

“Oh no,” he drew her in closer to him as his lips tapered off over
her neck, “I’m not imaging that at all as I much prefer Avery Morrison-Denton
to any of those women as there’s something that you do to me…”

“Hmm, I don’t know if I’m convinced there seeing as you’ve kind of
got this thing for those Hollywood beauties…” she feigned insult as her
arms curled around his shoulders, “I mean hey why would you want to bother
with me when they clearly are your fantasy women.”

“Avery,” he tore his lips away from her neck cupping her face in his
hands, “you’re my dream girl in every sense of the word and believe me
there’s not a fantasy I’m having where you aren’t my leading lady in it.”

“Hmm, well I’m almost convinced of that,” she decided settling in over
him again as his fingers traced over her spine touching her skin beneath
his night shirt.

“Almost convinced huh,” he shook his head at the thought, “Somehow
I don’t think I like the sound of that.”

“So what are you going to do about it,” Avery challenged in a flirty
tone as she watched him reach out across the coffee table grabbing the
remote and shutting off the television set with one flick of a button before
his arm curled around her and he quickly rolled her beneath him on the
couch as he offered up a sensual grin.

“Why it’s quite simple I’m about to clear up any misconceptions you
have about you being my one and only dream girl in this world or any fantasy
world there is out there,” he promised leaning in to kiss her as he vowed
to spend the rest of the night reminding his wife of just how much she
meant to him and more as they shared a quiet night at home with one another.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jade twirled around the room singing to the disco tune on the radio
while she placed a package of cookies upon the coffee table. She danced
away from the table as the song’s beat picked up and she began to feel
the music down to her soul.

Grady entered the room carrying two mugs and a carafe of coffee. He
stopped in his tracks as he watched her dance completely unaware of his
presence.

She sang the words to the song as if she felt them deep within her heart
and danced as if she were performing on stage. She opened her arms as if
embracing someone before covering her heart and belting out the last words
of the song.

He put the mugs down along with the coffee before he began clapping
furiously and whistling at her performance.

Jade stopped in her tracks and screamed in surprise, “How long have
you been standing there?”

“Long enough to know that it’s a good thing you weren’t born in the
disco era,” He teased before she clobbered him. He defended himself from
her attack as he spun her around and caged her within his arms as they
both laughed, “Seriously, I think you’ve got a set of pipes on you there.”

“Nope,” She shook her head with an embarrassed laugh, “I only sing in
the privacy of a living room or shower. No stages.”

“Well how about we have a dance while you’re feeling the music?” He
offered as he took her hand and spun her around before pulling her into
a dancer’s embrace as she giggled.

“I cannot get over how absolutely wonderful today has been,” She said
as she beamed with an illuminating smile.

“Today has been something close to paradise,” He admitted as he led
her in a dance around the living room, “And I have you to thank for making
me feel this way.”

She smiled softly, “Actually, you don’t. You’ve always been this man
that I’m completely in love with. You just sometimes let your demons take
over instead of acting like a rational human being,” She said seriously
before a grin crept into her features again.

“Yeah, I know. It’s hard being me,” He teased as he dipped her.

Jade squealed as he returned her to her feet and spun her around before
taking her in his arms again. She met his eyes, “You’re certainly feeling
good. Now see, didn’t I tell you that if you would have just given in to
me sooner I could have made you feel this way a lot quicker,” She teased.

“I know, but you know,” He shrugged half-heartedly with a smile, “I’ve
been trying to resist temptation.”

“I am not a temptation you need to ever resist,” She assured him as
she leaned in to give him a kiss, “I love you, Grady Denton…even if you
are a stubborn ass sometimes.”

“God I love it when you talk sexy,” He teased as he led her around the
room and dipped her once again, “I love you too, Jade Alexander.”

“Now, that’s truly music to my ears,” She smiled as he placed her back
upon her feet as the song came to an end, “Now, are we through with this
little turn around the dance floor?” She asked with a smile as “YMCA” came
on the radio.

“Hell yeah,” He said as he turned and walked to the sofa, “I don’t do
disco,” He teased with a wink as he poured them each a mug of coffee, “So,
this disco singing thing,” He began as she sat on the sofa next to him,
“Is that a regular thing with you? Should I be worried about walking in
and seeing you performing some disco number here in the living room every
time it’s disco fever time on the radio?”

“No,” She shook her head with a soft laugh, “That’s more or less just
a I’m so happy I could shout it from the rooftops thing,” She grinned as
she tucked her feet under her while picking up the remote and switching
off the stereo, “I don’t do regular performances.”

“Too bad. It was kind of sexy,” He said with a smile as he passed her
a mug of coffee.

“Grady, my poor baby,” She leaned over with a teasing smile, “If that’s
sexy, we so have got to get you out more.”

“Oh come on,” He began as he turned to face her, “You were dancing around
my living room wearing those tight jeans and my shirt,” He shrugged, “I’m
telling you that’s sexy.”

“Whatever you say,” She chuckled before sipping her coffee. Grady smiled
as he watched her for a long quiet moment. She looked up to meet his eyes
and smiled, “What are you smiling at?”

“I was just thinking about how happy I am in this moment,” He admitted
as he reached out to gently caress her cheek, “I wish we could capture
this moment and hold onto it forever.”

She covered his hand over her cheek as she met his eyes, “We don’t have
to. We’re going to keep living moments like this, and they’ll only keep
getting better,” She assured him as she placed her coffee aside and slid
across the sofa to sit in his lap and wrap her arms around his neck, “I
love you, Grady, and I know that we’ve got a wonderful bright future ahead
of us,” She spoke softly as she leaned in and kissed him tenderly.

“I love you too,” Grady smiled as he gently cupped her body to his,
“And I’m beginning to think that you’re right about us,” He admitted as
he kissed her once more, feeling as if a future of happiness was finally
well within the realm of possibility.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“So what was the big emergency,” Jenna questioned as Hart opened the
door to his condominium inviting her inside out of the cold as she looked
to him with curious eyes.

“It really wasn’t an emergency,” he reached for her coat helping her
out of it as she felt the warmth of his fireplace reach out to her even
in the foyer as it was a great contrast to the cold she’d stepped in from.

“Not an emergency,” Jenna gave him a strange look, “You paged me with
911 three times and then said to just come over as soon as I could before
you hung up on me. I didn’t even bother going home as I rushed over
here thinking that something was wrong,” she shook her head at him as he
smiled down at her.

“Well nothing was wrong,” he cupped her face in his hands tipping down
to kiss her gently, “although I have been missing you like crazy.”

“Hart, you can’t just go paging me because you miss me,” she couldn’t
help but smile at the thought of his eagerness to see her, “even if it’s
a priority for you.”

“Where you’re concerned, I always think of you as being a top priority,”
he assured her giving her one more kiss before taking a step back and holding
her coat over his arm as he grinned mysteriously.

“Okay, you’re flattering me,” she began nervously, “Now I know you’re
setting me up for something.”

“I’m not setting you up for anything,” he assured her stepping out
of the foyer as Jenna looked around taking in the atmosphere for a moment
as the warmth of the fireplace called to her and she stepped into the living
room taking in the soft candle light that surrounded her.

“There you are,” Hart slipped his arms around her waist kissing the
back of her neck as he held her.

“Here I am,” she smiled in response leaning into his touch as she closed
her eyes savoring the warmth of his arms as his body pressed in against
hers and a knowing expression washed over her as she tilted her head up
towards him seeing the sparkle behind his eyes, “You called me over here
to seduce me, didn’t you?”

“Actually,” Hart grinned eagerly, “as nice as that sounds, I was thinking
more along the lines of dinner here first, but if you’d rather skip to
the seduction…”

“Hmm, now that is a very tempting offer indeed,” Jenna turned in his
arms bringing her own arms around his neck as she tipped up on her toes
to kiss him gently, “and believe me a seduction sounds incredible, but
given the day I’ve had, well I think I’ll go for dinner to start with as
I haven’t had a thing since really early this morning.”

“In that case,” he picked her up off of the ground keeping her in his
arms as he carried her through his living room, “how about we adjourn to
the dining room?”

“I think that sounds…” Jenna began in between quick kisses, “nice…”

“Good because you know I had prepared something a little extra special,”
Hart promised easing her down beside a chair before he took a step back
and pulled it out for her, “as I hope you’re in the mood for something
a bit spicy.”

“Spicy always livens things up I say,” Jenna replied taking her seat
as Hart helped her into her seat leaving the room for the briefest of moments
before returning with a tray in hand.

“Mmm…that smells good,” Jenna admitted unable to contain the hunger
that tugged inside of her as she eyed the plate eagerly.

“I was hoping you’d think that as this is a first for me,” he explained
unveiling the concoction before him, “as it was something I found in one
of my grandmother’s old cookbooks there.”

“It smells divine,” she replied taking another whiff of the food before
her as Hart placed some of it on the plate that lay on the table in front
of her.

“Hopefully you’ll feel that way after you taste it,” he began encouragingly
as he watched her take a forkful of his latest culinary concoction.

“Mmm…this is good,” Jenna confessed swallowing the bite as she offered
up a soft smile, “as it beats the hell out of the frozen macaroni and cheese
that I was planning on throwing into the microwave earlier.”

“That’s always a plus,” Hart settled into his chair just taking the
moment to watch her as he couldn’t help but smile in amusement as she ate.

“What,” she questioned with a nervous gulp as she looked at him, “am
I doing something wrong?”

“Not at all,” he shook his head in response, “as you’re just beautiful
that’s all.”

“Nothing,” he shrugged his shoulders, “can’t a man just be happy to
have the woman he cares about around?”

“Well I suppose so, but something tells me there’s more to this than
meets the eye,” she answered skeptically, “so why not spill it and clue
me in on what has you grinning like that.”

“It’s just my enthusiasm in having your company,” he remarked with
a hint of a smile reaching for his fork, “Can’t I just appreciate the nearness
of you?”

“No,” she insisted with another shake of her head, “Something’s on
your mind as I can see it and I want to know what it is.”

“Now Jenna, how can you say that? I mean really while we’re just
getting to know one another, you can’t tell me that you read me so well
that you know what I’m thinking before I’m thinking it,” Hart winked at
her, “as if you really knew what I was thinking, you’d probably have a
hard time sitting there so patiently and in being so proper eating your
food as I can assure you that my thoughts are no where near a dinner conversation.”

“Hmm, now that I would believe,” Jenna admitted with a hint of a smile,
“though I really don’t think we should let all this good food go to waste
just because you’re mind is in the gutter.”

“No, I suppose we shouldn’t, so why not indulge me with some scintillating
conversation on how your day way,” Hart suggested taking a bite of his
food as he watched her.

“Hmm, well I went in on this accident, but I suppose that’s not really
dinner conversation,” Jenna confessed chewing on another bite before continuing,
“and before that, well…I had a talk with my mother.”

“Oh?” Hart inquired lifting a curious brow, “and how did that go?”

“Well actually,” Jenna shifted in her chair uneasily, “we didn’t really
talk more so than she tried to say a few things, but I wasn’t really interested
in hearing it. I was in a hurry and…”

“Jenna, don’t you think you should at least hear her out? I mean
maybe she has some things to say about the situation that you haven’t thought
about just yet,” Hart suggested reaching for the wine goblet before him,
“I mean hey you never know. You two might actually find a way to
reach some common ground with one another.”

“Hey, whose side are you on?” she threw him a pointed look.

“Yours of course, but well, I just think that maybe you should at least
listen to what your mother has to say as you never know what’s really going
on,” Hart suggested with a simple shrug of his shoulders, “I mean hey maybe
together you can reach some kind of understanding.”

“She lied to me, what more do I need to understand about the situation,”
Jenna replied with a huff, “I think that speaks for itself there.
Don’t you agree?”

“Maybe there’s a reason why she did what she did. I mean hey
maybe she was just nervous about reliving that part of her life all over
again as she didn’t want you thinking the worst…”

“I can’t see how believing my father was dead could be anything, but
the worst considering,” Jenna shook the thought from her mind, “You know
Hart, I really don’t want to talk about my mother right now. I’d
just like to push my family aside for a while and enjoy the company that
I’m keeping at a time like this.”

“Fair enough,” Hart decided wondering if his talk with Douglas Mahoney
would prove to be fruitful as it seemed that as it stood Jenna and her
mother may never see eye to eye with one another where the past was concerned.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shannon stepped into the bar ready to get some clarity about her and
while entering the world of temptation was always something that had pushed
her limits, she found herself ready to be tested tonight as she passed
through the smoke filled atmosphere of the Cadillac Ranch seeking out the
clarity in the Harold Abrams situation that had evaded her until recently.
While this case was supposed to have been something that swept her in and
out of town, she found herself on the verge of a meltdown as it seemed
that Coral Valley was sucking her in once again.

Making her way up to the bar Shannon flagged down the bartender getting
herself what felt like her usual non-alcoholic poison as her eyes skimmed
the bar and she wondered how many nights Abrams had found himself in this
sleazy place picking up one unsuspecting victim after the next. Just
the thought of the way the man operated made her nauseous as she realized
things were now on a deeper level of intensity in finding him as he’d put
so many lives at risk. His madness was only deepening and as Shannon
tried to place herself into his warped mind, it only reminded her of how
a drunk could dull her senses over the horrors she’d seen in the last few
days, but now wasn’t about falling back as she was bound and determined
to find Abrams and take him down and get the hell out of Coral Valley.
That much she was certain of as she felt the warmth of a body slide into
the bar stool beside her.

“Fancy seeing you here Pryce,” Patrick mumbled in a snazzy tone that
Shannon was sure enough worked on some of the local women as he flashed
her a bright grin, “Here I never thought you’d be slumming with the rest
of us, yet here you are…”

“And it’s not to socialize,” Shannon remarked dryly as she paid the
bartender, grabbed her drink and walked into the crowd opting to take a
seat at one of the empty tables at the back of the bar in the hopes of
getting a moment of clarity despite the atmosphere, but before she could
find herself absorbed in that, she eyed Patrick as he slid into the seat
across from her with curious eyes.

“Tell me something,” Patrick threw out at her extending his arm out
over the back of the booth, “Why do you suppose it is that you seem to
avoid me at every step of the way when we encounter one another?”

“Maybe it’s because I don’t particularly like you,” Shannon shrugged
her shoulder sipping her drink before throwing him an icy glare, “but that’s
just a theory.”

“Hmm, well maybe we should work on altering that theory,” Patrick suggested
with a hint of a smile, “as you know I’m really not a bad guy there.”

“Well, it’s not for me to decide as I could really care less,” Shannon
took another swig of her drink before she motioned to the room surrounding
them, “though I’m sure if you look really hard you’ll find someone here
who’s very interested in finding reasons to hate you in the morning when
you’re done with them.”

“So that’s how it is huh,” Patrick gave her a knowing look, “You’ve
been burned by love and now you’re taking it out on every man that crosses
your path.”

“Look Sharpe,” she leaned forward setting her drink down as she found
herself agitated with him to say the least, “I’m really in no mood to have
you playing shrink, so you can leave now.”

“Hey, all I’m saying is I heard the rumors,” he raised his hands in
the air innocently enough, “I know all about your little, well thing with
Brant Ashford and hey I can’t blame you for hating men after being around
that creep, but you should know that all men aren’t the same. I mean
some of us do have our finer points.”

“Men such as yourself?” Shannon arched a skeptic brow.

“Exactly,” he nodded eagerly as he extended his hand out across the
table brushing his finger tips against her hand as his voice grew dark
with an obvious display of desire, “I mean sure you might not be seeing
it considering that you’re so ready to hate me, but you know I can be someone
worthwhile to have around there should you feel a bit lonely as your time
in Coral Valley continues.”

“Is that so?” Shannon tipped her gaze down to the way he was reaching
out to her as his ego overwhelmed her.

“That’s right Pryce,” he nodded emphatically, “I’m sure that if you
get over your strong dislike for me or even dive into it a little bit and
explore, you might find yourself in a very savory position as I’m sure
I can open your eyes up to a world of sexual pleasure that you weren’t
even aware existed in a small town like this.”

“Hmm, well you know I made sure to come to Coral Valley with plenty
of batteries stocked up to service myself in the event that I needed something
that clearly a man like yourself isn’t capable of giving me while I’m in
town,” Shannon remarked with a roll of her eyes, “So really don’t start
spouting tales about how talented you are in bed because I don’t need a
reason to vomit tonight,” she finished pulling her hand away from his with
a huff.

“You know what the hell is your problem,” Patrick barked back at her,
“I mean hey I thought I’d be doing you a favor as the guys at the department
have been going on and on about how you need to get laid…”

“So you thought that you’d be the one to liberate me,” Shannon shook
her head at him before her tone shifted to that of a warning, “Sharpe,
let me just get this out in the open once and for all. I know your
type and quite frankly I find you nothing, but repulsive and I swear to
you if you ever think about throwing any more indecent proposals in my
direction, then I’m warning you now be prepared to suffer the consequences
of it as I will have no problem slapping the cuffs on you for your obvious
sexual harassment.”

“Oh please,” he rolled his eyes watching as she rose from the table,
“get over yourself you frigid bitch.”

Shannon stopped mid-step turning around to face him once again as she
held her glass in hand, “What did you just say?”

“You heard me,” Patrick shrugged his shoulders with a huff, “I always
knew you were a lesbian anyways…”

Shannon bit back on her anger as she approached him once again wanting
so much to tear his head off despite the consequences that her action would
have, but instead she took in a slow even breath as she contemplated her
next move and she threw out her best smile opting for another approach,
“You know what Patrick, I really don’t think we’ve really come off on the
wrong foot with one another.”

“Come again,” Patrick gave her a strange look as she curled her finger
at him urging him to get up from the side of the booth he was on.

“You’re right. I’ve been too hard on you and I’m just wound up
about this case I’m working on, but really it’s not your fault,” she extended
her hand out to him, “How about we try again? What do you say we
go out and dance there?”

“Really,” he eyed her hand as though she was going to burn him if he
touched her, but ultimately his ego led him to accept as he grinned down
at her guiding her to the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around
her as a slow song filled the air and he whispered over her face, “Somehow
I knew you’d come around Pryce.”

“Oh you have no idea,” she allowed him to guide her on the dance floor
feeling him spin her around as he hummed the tune in her ear. She
nearly cringed as she felt his lips near her neck, but when he dropped
his hands to cup her bottom, she decided that her big payback couldn’t
wait as she pulled back, “Patrick wait…”

“What?” Patrick questioned with wide eyes as she rubbed up against
him grinding her hips suggestively against him.

“You know maybe I was too quick on the attack there as it has been
a while for me,” Shannon replied with the beginnings of a smile as she
teased her fingers over the center of his chest.

“Somehow I suspected it might’ve been,” he slid his hands up over her
spine crushing her against him before his fingers pressed through her blonde
hair, “but I promise you I can find a way to help you with this unsavory
position you’ve found yourself in.”

“I just bet you can,” Shannon threw a flirty smile up at him, “In fact,
I was thinking that maybe we should just cut to the chase and get down
to business. What do you say?”

“You mean we should just…” his eyes widened with obvious delight at
what she was suggesting.

“Oh yeah,” she nodded eagerly in response, “what do you say to you
and me in the ladies room?”

“Right here? Right now?” he blinked back in response as a gulp
filled in his throat, “I mean are you sure you can handle that baby?”

“I don’t know…can you handle it,” she teased her fingers over his chest
before backing away, “or are you too much of a prude to go and do something
so uninhibited?”

“I can take anything you dish out at me,” he followed her through the
crowd looking around as she wiggled her finger at him alerting him to wait
a moment before she checked out the ladies room finding it empty before
motioning for him to follow her inside.

“Well, how are things looking,” Shannon questioned seating herself
up on the counter top as she wiggled her legs at him while her eyes began
to size him up.

“Things are looking very up right now,” Patrick promised her stepping
towards her eagerly as he wrapped his arms around her ready to lay an excited
kiss upon her as she placed her finger between them waving it in his face.

“Oh no, not yet,” she shook her head as she pushed him back onto the
counter a grin spreading over her features as she fingered at his belt,
her smirk growing by the second as she leaned forward kissing his neck,
“as I had something else in mind. Something that I’m certain you
might rather enjoy,” she promised unhooking his belt as he leaned back
on the counter top a proud smile growing upon his features as she continued
to undo his pants tearing them down past his knees to reveal that Patrick
Sharpe clearly had gone full commando as there was nothing hiding the burgeoning
erection that sprung to life before her.

“Is that so?” he inquired watching as her gaze lingered over her and
he reached for her hand guiding it towards the source of his masculinity,
“Want a better look?”

“Actually,” Shannon began stopping his hand before he made it to his
target and she shook herself from his hold bringing her fingers over his
bare thighs, “I actually had something else in mind as I think I owe you
a little something for the way I treated you before. That is if you’ll
let me make it up to you with a kiss.”

“A kiss huh,” Patrick threw out with an amused smile leaning in towards
her in an attempt to collect her mouth in his, “Well I suppose it’s only
fair considering that…”

“Oh no,” Shannon shook her head again preventing him from kissing her,
“that wasn’t the kind of kiss I had in mind.”

“No?” Patrick gave her a strange look before she teased her hands down
over his thighs, her gaze centering on his manhood as she began to lower
herself to her knees before him.

“Oh no,” she breathed moving in closer to him as she felt his fingers
moving in over her hair encouraging her attentions as she dropped her hands
down into her back pocket seeking out the one tool she’d need at a time
like this in such a tentative position such as this one as she reached
for his hand. Feeling his hold on her, she felt a sense of eagerness
sweep over her as she collected his wrist slapping the cold, hard metal
of her handcuffs upon him as she’d managed to restrain him to the pipe
next to the counter.

Taking a moment to stifle the chuckle that was building up inside of
her as she quickly discarded his pants before standing, Shannon found herself
met by his confused eyes as he struggled to free up his wrist.

“What the…?” Patrick trailed off tugging at his wrist as he looked
at her watching her ball up his pants and toss them into a the trash bin
across the room, “Pryce, what are you doing?”

Shannon shrugged her shoulders as she let loose of the laugh she’d
been fighting, “Well, I guess you could say I had second thoughts there
as it is a woman’s prerogative. Plus, I realized what a loser you
truly are Sharpe,” her gaze dropped down to his exposed body as she shook
her head once again, “What a disappointment you must be to the women of
Coral Valley,” she finished walking out of the bathroom despite his protests
as she found herself suddenly enjoying this recent twist of fate as it
finally felt good to do something worthwhile in Coral Valley. Sure
there might be hell to pay for leaving a police lieutenant bound to a sink
in the ladies room at the Cadillac Ranch, but given the way that man carried
himself around every woman that encountered him, she realized that this
particular stretch outside of protocol was well worth it as he deserved
every second of humiliation she’d dished out to him and as she left the
bar she suddenly found herself feeling damn good indeed for the first time
since she‘d arrived in town.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thea stepped out of the limousine taking one last puff of her cigar
before tossing it to the snow covered ground. She extinguished it
with her spiked heel before marching up to Cameron’s place, a determination
about her as she was well aware that Cameron wouldn’t be home. As
usual she was welcomed into the mansion and after a quick questioning she
learned that the future Mrs. Stone was in the library doing heaven knew
what while Cameron was away. Armed with that knowledge, Thea marched
into the library finding Heather clicking away at the computer as Thea
closed the doors behind her.

“Oh good you’re not busy,” Thea’s words vibrated through the room as
Heather looked up from the monitor seeing Thea standing before her as a
frown touched over her features.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Heather grumbled up at her with
a huff, “I didn’t think that the hired help were allowed to be here after
hours.”

“I’ll give you hired help you,” Thea started before taking in a slow
breath and a wicked smile replaced her agitated features, “You know Heather,
maybe it’s time you and I set things straight around here as really, you
aren’t aware of what you’re stepping into with Cameron. Sure a lecherous,
money grubbing whore like yourself might think you have some inkling of
the situation you’re getting yourself wrapped up in, but really I think
it’s time we lay down the ground rules of this so called impending marriage.”

Heather set the stack of papers she’d been sorting through from doing
her online research aside as she sat up straighter in her chair, “And you
think that you’re going to be such the person to set these so called rules
for me, huh Thea?”

“Oh you have no idea just how many other things I’m going to set you
straight on Heather,” Thea marched towards the desk as she stood before
Heather, her eyes narrowing at the woman as her anger mounted, “as you’re
truly nothing, but means to an end for Cameron and if you really think
that your becoming his wife is going to shake up his world, well then you’re
the one in for a rude awakening.”

“How do you figure,” Heather folded her arms in front of her chest
curiously as she glared up at Thea, “I mean other than the fact that clearly
he’ll find himself in the company of a real woman who can more than provide
for him the pleasures that clearly someone such as yourself was trained
to do for him. I mean that is what it is you’re so worked up over,
isn’t it? The fact that you won’t be able to service my husband anymore
because he’ll be mine?”

“Oh you’re so out of your league Heather,” Thea chuckled down at her
remaining firm in her stance, “but then again if you’re so foolish to really
believe you’ll have that much control over Cameron, then you’re even more
delusional than I took you for.”

“I know what a man like Cameron needs and when he marries me, I’ll
see to it that he gets rid of the trash in his life,” Heather stood up
glaring at Thea as they stood eye to eye with one another, “Starting with
you.”

“Funny you should say that Heather babe as from what I’ve gathered
of your reputation with Brant Ashford and Kipp Mahoney tossing you like
yesterday’s news I’d hardly imagine your weight around Cameron to amount
to much of anything as clearly you’re losing your touch with men when none
of them seem to want you,” Thea lashed out at her, “as even Cameron has
taken to you out of pity.”

“Listen you jealous bitch,” Heather sneered at her.

“Jealous,” Thea chuckled in response her laughter growing louder as
she seethed at Heather, “I’d hardly consider myself jealous of a pathetic
excuse of a woman like you as you’re nothing Heather. You’re not
even good enough to be anything more than the trash you’ve always been
and marrying Cameron won’t change that as he could care less about you.”

“Spoken like a woman scorned,” Heather shot back at her, “Now I know
you’re afraid of the influence I’ll have over Cameron because you know
I’ll have him drop you like a hot potato soon enough.”

“Listen little girl,” Thea pushed Heather back into her chair roughly
causing Heather to gasp in surprise as Thea hovered over her grabbing her
face within her palm squeezing at her cheeks as she glared down at Heather,
“while your pretty little face might’ve gotten you through this world up
until now, with Cameron you’ll find it’s an entirely different ballgame
as I’ll see to it that you’ll be treated accordingly as Cameron doesn’t
take to your type. While you think that this marriage is your ticket
to the world, it’s only around because I haven’t put a stop to it yet,
but don’t think I’m above pretending this farce from taking place because
you underestimate my power with Cameron.”

“Listen you bitch,” Heather shoved at Thea pushing her away from the
chair as she rose to her feet once again, “I won’t tolerate you putting
your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“Your nose is the one who doesn’t belong here and if I were you, I’d
watch my step because you never know what kind of accidents could happen
when you’re trying to fit into someone else’s shoes when they’re much too
big for you.”

“Is that a threat you’re issuing me,” Heather questioned with a huff,
“because if you think for a second that…”

“Oh Heather, darling I don’t threaten because it has such a nasty little
implication of mystery to it and well, I don’t like to do that as I’d much
rather be blunt,” Thea approached her once again touching at a lock of
Heather’s blonde hair, “Your days are numbered around here and it’s in
your own best interest that you see to it that you don’t rub me the wrong
way or else, well let’s just say you have no idea the kind of unfortunate
situations you might find yourself in should you dare to try. Do
we understand one another?”

“I’m not afraid of you Thea as I’ve deal with women like you before
and haven’t even batted an eyelash in the process,” Heather cut back sharply,
“Sure you talk big talk, but in the end you’re truly nothing more than
a pathetic little woman and if you think for a second that any of this
has intimidated me in the least, well you’re wrong as the last thing I
would ever be is frightened of someone like you.”

“There’s your first mistake Heather,” Thea flicked her finger at her
shoving Heather back into the chair once again as she offered up an icy
smile, “and mark my words, you’ll live to regret it in more ways than your
little pea brain can ever imagine,” she finished walking out the door as
Heather reached for a paperweight on the desk chucking it at the door long
after Thea’s exit as rage rushed over her.

“On the contrary Thea,” Heather spoke behind gritted teeth, “You’ll
be the one to live to regret this moment in time because I’m going to find
a way to see to it that you’re out of Cameron’s life once and for all,”
Heather vowed ready to eliminate with anyone who dared to threaten her
in any way.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Thanks for forcing me to do this even though I still feel guilty about
leaving Kenny alone at the hospital at a time like this,” Blake broke the
silence between her and Seth as she turned her attention away from the
half eaten sandwich before her.

“Hey, I think you needed some time away,” Seth reached across the table
to give her hand a soft squeeze before reluctantly letting go of it, “as
I had a feeling that you could use some clarity for a few minutes in between
everything that’s going on with Caitlin and your brothers.”

“I just don’t get them sometimes,” Blake sighed thinking about her
brothers and their constant battles with one another, “I mean sometimes
we all seem so close and then other times, well at other times it feels
like they just get off on being at odds with one another. Granted
emotions are running high because of what’s going on with Caitlin, but
still it’s no excuse to behave like animals…especially now.”

“No it isn’t, but I’m sure your brother Ken is just worried about Caitlin,”
Seth offered up thinking about Caitlin’s friend. “He seems to care
very deeply about her.”

“He does,” Blake nodded in response, “and I just can’t understand why
Zack would want him away from her when I know how much Caitlin loves him.
I mean sure maybe they weren’t in the best terms with one another when
Caitlin was attacked, but maybe with Kenny beside her, well maybe it would
be the thing to bring her back to us as in hearing his voice maybe…” she
trailed off feeling tears come to her eyes once again, “Then again maybe
it’s just wishful thinking on my part…”

“On the contrary,” Seth shook his head reaching for her hand once again
in an attempt to comfort her, “just because Caitlin’s in a coma doesn’t
mean that she can’t hear what’s going on around her. I mean hey,
there are a lot of cases where coma patients wake up and it’s their loved
ones that brought them back to the world around them. I mean hey,
look at me. I’m living proof of that…”

Blake’s eyes returned to his once again as she realized what he was
saying and she recalled the day that had turned their world upside down
when she and Seth had first crossed paths with one another during the quake.
She thought back to the lies she’d told in order to get near him and in
that instant she felt a glimmer of hope fill her insides as she worried
about Caitlin, “That’s right. You did come back to the world around
you, but then again it was because you were able to see Jade and…”

“And you,” Seth finished for her seeing a flicker of sadness in her
eyes as he kept his hold on her hand, “as you know that with you near me,
it gave me the strength to keep fighting and holding on to the world around
me.”

“You hardly knew me,” Blake felt a heat rise over her features as she
felt his finger brush up against her palm and a stir of sensations rushed
over her causing her to withdraw from the touch as her heart still pulsed
in her chest at the nearness of him. Even after all this time and
her blossoming romance with Zack, she could still feel the flutter in her
heart that came in being close to Seth. It was that feeling that
had haunted her when they’d parted ways and now as his eyes reached into
her, she felt uncomfortable in her own skin fearing what might reveal itself
to him should she meet his penetrating gaze a moment longer.

“I knew enough to know that I wanted to come back and get a second
chance at finding out more,” Seth confessed openly thinking back to the
fiery woman who’d captured his heart in that first meeting, “I mean with
your spirit and tenacity…”

“Now you’re making me sound like a horse,” Blake shook her head at
the thought trying to find some lightness in the situation as she focused
on the cup of coffee before her.

“That’s not what I’m trying to say as Blake, when I met you my life
was very jumbled up. There were a lot of things going on--thing that
I can’t even begin to explain, but then there you were. I’d just
settled in to enjoy some time alone with my car--to get her fixed up and
just work towards that eventual ride I’d thought so very long about, but
instead the quake shook up my world and sent me on a different path altogether
as the car seemed to lose it’s importance when I woke up with you at my
bedside.”

“Seth, I really don’t think that now…” Blake started uneasily.

“Look, Blake I know a lot of things have happened between us and certainly
right now the last thing you need is any more complications in your life,
but I want you to know one thing,” he reached for her hand despite her
unease with him as he lifted it to his lips kissing her knuckles with a
soft, tender caress of his lips as his dark eyes fixed upon hers once more,
“When I told you that I loved you, I meant every word of it and I still
do…”

“Seth, Zack and I are…” Blake shifted in her seat nervously as she
fought to find the strength to pull her hand away.

“Together?” he finished in a pained voice releasing her hand as she
could see the ache behind his brown eyes as he nodded, “Yeah I kind of
figured that much when I saw you two together time and time again and given
the way he was ready to beat my ass there, well it wasn’t hard to figure
out,” he let out an ironic laugh, “I guess it was my fault for agreeing
to go along with the plan where Zack got to play your leading man to the
public as it seems it’s a role he rather enjoyed and fit perfectly into.”

Blake’s features shifted as Seth saw the anger spark behind her eyes,
“That was not what I’d intended at the time Seth and if you think for one
second…”

“Blake, I’m not trying to imply anything,” he shook his head desperately
seeking out a way to explain himself to her, “Look, I was an ass and all
I’m saying is that Zack is a lucky guy. I mean he has the most beautiful
woman in the world with him and he’d able to keep you happy which is more
than I was able to. Sure, I’ll be honest and say I envy the guy for
being able to be the one to have your heart as it was something that I’d
always hoped to have in my life…”

“Seth, please don’t do this. Not now when I need to think about
Caitlin,” Blake pleaded with him unwilling to face the things that had
happened between them in the not so distant past.

“Blake, I love you and I’m not about to apologize for that as that‘s
never going to change for me,” he promised her with an impassioned tone
as his fingers brushed over hers once again before he let go, “but with
that thought in mind I swear to you that I didn’t bring you here to take
advantage of the current situation you’re in with Zack. I’m here
with you because I care about you and because I know you need me right
now whether you really want to have me around or not…”

Blake remained silent for a long moment before finally nodding tearfully,
“I do need you Seth. I hate that I do, but right now with Caitlin
in a coma, I just don’t know if…” she broke down into tears as Seth reached
out to her unable to take seeing her heart breaking as he slid in beside
her in the booth wrapping his arms around her.

“Caitlin’s going to pull through this,” he promised her holding her
close to him as he kissed the top of her head trying to comfort her as
her pain reached the very heart of her, “You have to believe in that Blake.”

“I’ve just seen so many people I love leave me and if Caitlin goes
too,” Blake sobbed gently as her tears pressed upon his chest leaving a
damp warmth over his shirt as he stroked her blonde hair tenderly.

“She’s not going to leave you,” he tried to soothe her, “as you have
to keep believing in the miracles that are out there in the world.
You of all people should remember that as you know with a little faith
and some hope…”

“Seth, I’m just not so sure of that anymore,” she tipped her eyes up
towards him as her pain rolled over her, “I mean first I lost my mother,
then my father and now my best friend…”

“Caitlin’s not going anywhere,” Seth brushed at the tears that soaked
her cheeks. “You have to keep holding on to her with prayers and
the love that you feel in your heart as that will be the key to her recovery.”

“I just wish I could believe I had that kind of power with just a prayer,”
Blake sniffled in response as her tear filled eyes sought out some reassurance
in his.

“Blake, how can you look at me and not believe you do? I’m not
joking with you when I tell you that you’re the reason I’m back in this
world again,” Seth offered up a sad smile before throwing out an ironic
expression, “Sure, I don’t know if you’re regretting that outcome now,
but it’s because of you that I’m here with you today.”

“I could never regret that Seth,” she admitted honestly feeling the
warmth of his touch as she reached out to him curling her fingers over
his shoulder as she tipped her head up towards him, “as I could never regret
the time I spent with you.”

“Neither could I as you taught me so many things Blake and words can’t
even begin to express all the ways in which you brought me back to life
again and out of the darkness that my life had me suffocating in,” he whispered
leaning in towards her as he felt her breath spill over his lips as she
let out a slow sigh closing her eyes with the slow hiss. He inched
in closer taking in the soft scent of her strawberry lip gloss as instinct
carried over him and he ignored the warnings going off in his head as his
lips brushed over hers in a slow, tender sweep.

Blake felt the warmth of Seth’s lips upon hers and as if he’d sensed
the horrible anticipation building up inside of her at the nearness of
him when he‘d completed the distance between them, she found herself melting
into the kiss, savoring the softness of his lips, the furious pounding
of his heart beneath the place where her hand had settled upon his chest.
Even now as she fought to recall all the reasons she’d never allow herself
to be near Seth Alexander again, her heart was telling another tale as
she drank up the sweet, comforting caress of his lips over hers.
A slow moan escaped her now parted lips as their kiss continued, deepening
with the moments that passed, but almost as soon as it started, Seth tore
himself away from her lips leaving her breathless and confused as she stared
up at him in a moment of complete silence.

“I should probably check on how that order is going for your brother,”
Seth cleared his throat as if he sensed the awkwardness of the moment between
them as he rose from the booth beside her, “I’ll go see what’s taking them
so long and work on getting you a box as I’m sure you’re not going to eat
anymore of that, huh?”

“No, I’m not,” she nodded in response not even contemplating her sandwich
as she watched him walk away from her leaving her wondering if somehow
she’d found a way to get in over her head again as she realized that as
much as she knew in her heart she loved Zack, a part of her was still very
much in turmoil over Seth and she feared that part would never let go as
long as she allowed herself to be near him. Even with everything
that was said and done, she knew in her heart there was never going to
be any escaping the way she’d felt for the man who’d managed to make her
feel on top of the world and break her heart all at the same time.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Deidra stepped into the waiting area where she saw Ken sitting with
Annie. Deidra smiled at Annie in greeting before she moved to stand in
front of Ken.

“Hey, I hear you could use a friend right about now,” Deidra offered
him a friendly smile.

Ken stood and hugged her in his arms, “I sure could,” He admitted as
he held onto her, “How are you?”

“I think the question should be how are you,” She pointed out as she
met his eyes, “From what I can tell you’re tired and probably hungry,”
She shook her head and clucked her tongue gently, “You should take care
of yourself if you expect to do Caitlin any good.”

“Okay, Mom,” He said pointedly with a soft smile, “Thank you for caring,
but I’m not really hungry and I couldn’t really rest if I tried,” He shook
his head, “Until I can see Caitlin, there’s no way I’ll be able to relax
for even a minute.”

Deidra patted his shoulder gently, “We’ll have to see what we can do
about that.”

Annie stood, “I think I’m going to go get myself a cup of coffee. Can
I bring you two anything?”

“No, thanks,” Ken gave her a thankful smile while Deidra also declined
the offer.

“Okay, I’ll be back,” Annie smiled supportively before she walked out
of the waiting room.

Deidra met her friend’s eyes, “So how are you really holding up?”

“Not too good,” Ken admitted as he sat back on the lumpy sofa which
he had claimed as his, “I can’t believe this is happening again.”

“Dave said that she had been attacked before. He’s really trying hard
to find the man who did this,” She assured him, “I can’t tell you how sorry
I am about all of this.”

“Thanks,” He patted the sofa beside him, “Have a seat. Help me wallow
in my misery.”

She smiled as she took the seat beside him, “Caitlin must be a very
special woman. I barely got to meet her at the airport, but I got the impression
that you’re pretty taken with her and she with you.”

A smile lightened his features as he nodded, “She’s the most wonderful
woman I’ve ever met. She’s my refuge, and I don’t know what I’d do with
out her. That’s why this is all so hard. Just to know that in a flash she
could have been taken from me,” He paused as he shook his head in disgust,
“It’s just not right.”

“No, it isn’t,” She agreed, “But I’ve checked in on her condition, and
I’ve heard that Caitlin’s brother barred you from seeing her.”

“Yeah, he’s pissed off at Blake and me, and I’m not even actually sure
what it is we supposedly have done,” Ken frowned.

“Well, I don’t know what his reasoning is, but I do know how Caitlin’s
doing. She’s critical, but she’s stable. She’s in the ICU, and she’s been
settled into a room,” Deidra explained, “She’s in a coma, but it seems
as if its not as deep a coma as her neurologist feared it would be.”

“What does that mean for her prognosis?” He asked urgently.

“It means that she could regain consciousness at any time. The neurologist
feared that she would have some sort of brain damage from both the swelling
of the brain and the fact that she was deprived of oxygen for some time.
While that could still be a possibility, the fact that her coma isn’t as
deep as originally thought says that she may not have that serious of an
injury.”

Ken breathed a sigh of relief, “Has anyone been allowed to see her yet?”

“I think her family is only now getting to see her as it took the ICU
team a while to get her settled with all the monitors and her IVs,” She
bit her lip for a moment, “I haven’t even started on a regular basis yet,
but I’m sure I could use my position here to get you in to see her.”

“Deidra,” He began, “I can’t ask you to jeopardize your career for this.
I’ll get in to see her on my own, but I do appreciate the offer.”

“Are you sure? Because I’ll do anything in the case of real love,” She
began.

“Still believe in love, huh?” He asked with a smile, “I appreciate it,
Dee, but I’ll work this out on my own.”

“What are we working out?” Dave asked as he stepped into the room to
join his friends.

“Ken won’t accept my offer to sneak him in to see Caitlin,” Deidra informed
him.

“As crazy as this is to say, I’m actually glad he’s not going to accept
your offer,” Dave admitted as he sat down across from them, “You just got
back into town. The last thing you need is to have your job yanked away
from you now,” He spoke as he sat back in the sofa.

“But still,” She began.

“Was she always this stubborn?” Ken asked with a teasing smile.

“Yeah, I think so,” Dave nodded as he smiled at Deidra, “Though I do
sort of remember a time when that stubborn streak landed us all in trouble.”

“Oh boy,” Deidra groaned as she half hid her face in humiliation.

“You mean when she fought with Sheriff Yarborough because the sheriff
thought we were drunk and she argued with him,” Ken shook his head with
a chuckle, “And we all ended up at the jail. God, I thought Annie was going
to throw a fit,” He laughed softly.

“Annie was nothing,” Deidra rolled her eyes though a laugh tickled her
words, “I thought Mom was going to kill me. God…why didn’t I just learn
to keep my mouth shut?”

“You did,” Dave grinned, “Eventually.”

“Hey, don’t start with me, mister,” She warned in a groan before laughing,
“I cannot believe you two turned this around on me.”

Ken smiled as he hugged Deidra to his side, “We do still love you though.”

“Yeah well, you guys have a completely screwed up way of showing it,”
Deidra chuckled as she hugged Ken in return.

“That’s us. The three musketeers, and god help this town that we’re
all back together again,” Deidra smiled as she met Ken’s eyes, “And hey,
you’re not alone. You remember that.”

“I could never forget,” Ken assured her with a smile as he hugged Deidra
once again, feeling that his friends were the only support he could count
on in this situation and that they would help get him through.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Johanna exited the hospital cafeteria carrying the coffees she’d promised
to bring Zack’s parents as her thoughts were with Zack hoping that somehow
his sister would find a way to pull through this recent tragedy as she
hated to see Zack’s heart breaking at a time like this. While they’d
been estranged from one another for a short while, she realized that in
being here for him, it only brought back all the memories of the wonderful
times they’d had with one another before things fell apart and while she
felt her place was clearly with Zack at a time like this, she just wished
it had been under different circumstances as Caitlin’s tragedy was the
last thing in the world she’d wanted for the man she’d loved so very much.

Now as Johanna fumbled with the cups of coffee in her hands, she realized
she’d forgotten the cream and sugar in her haste to get out of the cafeteria
and while she was sure the Vaughn’s wouldn’t mind the missing elements,
she decided to take a trip back to collect them anyways as it was just
like her to remember the small touches at times like this. Taking
a quick step towards the cafeteria once more, she bumped into a man getting
off the elevators and she felt the coffee slip out of her hands onto him
as he let out a yelp in the collision.

“I’m so sorry,” she began to apologize reaching for some of the napkins
she’d brought with her when he faced her and her jaw dropped upon recognition
of his face, “Brant?”

“Johanna,” he gave her a strange look, “What are you doing here?”

“I was…” she began to inform him as his eyes lit up with hope.

“Is Russell here?” he questioned with an eagerness that caused Johanna
to roll her eyes in response.

“Hardly,” she shook her head at him, “as you know the world doesn’t
revolve around you and your quest to be with that little slut Russell’s
married to. Some people have some real problems you know.”

“Gee, and here I thought you were in a sour mood before,” he plucked
the napkins out of her hand shaking his head at her with a slight grumble
before he eyed her once again, “So, then tell me, if you’re not here keeping
an eye on Russ, then what are you doing?”

“It’s personal and if you‘ll excuse me I have some coffee to take care
of,” she answered sharply pushing her way past him as he reached out to
her arm catching her mid-movement.

“Personal?” he repeated brimming with curiosity, “What kind of answer
is that?”

“The only one that you’re getting at a time like this,” she replied
sourly, “as I’m not on your clock right now Brant.”

“You’re always on the clock where I’m concerned as I gave you a simple
job to do and you blew it big time,” Brant informed her sharply, “that
in itself is all the reason more why you should be working your damnedest
to find a way to make up for that lack of efficiency on your end.”

“Look Brant, not that it’s any of your business or that you’d actually
give a damn, but a friend of mine is going through a hard time right now.
His sister was just attacked and she’s in a coma. While I know you
think that the world revolves around your own narcissistic issues, the
fact remains that there are people out there with real problems and real
things happening in their life other than your so called quest to win Avery
over which by the way since we’re on the subject of real honesty I think
is truly pathetic on your end.”

“Pathetic,” he chuckled in mild amusement, “That’s rich coming from
you considering that a few hours ago you were throwing yourself at me.”

“That was before I came to my senses as I was feeling sorry for you,”
she hissed in response, “but believe me Brant, I wouldn’t waste my time
repeating that kind of mistake considering that I already have someone
in my life that I care deeply about and he thinks the world of me as well.”

“Hmm, well does Mr. Cares So Deeply know how you were trying to mix
business with pleasure until I tossed you aside,” Brant questioned harshly
as he glared down at her, “Then again, is he around here because you know
I’d love to talk to him and tell him all about your inadequacies here considering
that…”

“Believe me I’d like nothing more than to let him have the opportunity
to kick your ass, but considering that his sister’s in a coma and his employers
here at the hospital might not take to kindly to one of their top surgeons
attacking an Ashford in public, I’d really not want to make his day any
harder on him…” she paused as a twisted smirk built up over her features,
“then again maybe beating the hell out of you would make his day after
all.”

“Hmm, well as much as I’d love to stick around and meet this loser
that seems to think the world of you, I have more pressing things to attend
to and you’d be best suited to get back on track once this crisis is over,”
Brant adjusted his tie tossing the napkins back at her, “because we really
wouldn’t want to have a less than unsavory encounter with one another again,
now would we?”

“Go to hell Brant,” Johanna growled in response stalking away from
him as Brant couldn’t help but chuckle in mild amusement realizing that
while dealing with someone like Johanna wasn’t exactly one of the high
points in his life, it would have to do until he found a way to get the
situation with Russell taken care of.

Suddenly an idea struck Brant as he recalled Johanna’s words and his
gloating was replaced with something else as he realized that perhaps a
distracted Johanna would be bad for the situation with Russell. Frowning
as the thought occurred to him, he began to wonder if her mystery man was
the reason why she hadn’t completed her mission before and as he watched
her returning to the area they’d just crossed paths in, he saw her slip
into one of the elevators. Watching as the lights lit up indicating
the floor she’d gone up to another thought struck him as he hopped into
an elevator himself hoping to catch a glimpse of her mystery man as he
had a sudden sinking suspicion about the situation.

When the elevator doors opened Brant realized he didn’t need to bother
with following her as it all hit him in living color as he thought of her
talk about her mystery man being a doctor with a sister in a coma as that
was usually a very rare happening in Coral Valley. His nagging suspicion
carried over him until Johanna confirmed it as he saw her in the hallway
catching up with two people who looked vaguely familiar as she handed each
one of them a coffee before none other than Dr. Zack Vaughn appeared beside
Johanna. She ran her hand up over Zack’s arm supportively as Zack
pulled her into an embrace leaning on her for support and Brant’s eyes
widened in response piecing it all together before he stepped back into
the elevators. Suddenly in that instant it dawned in on him that
Caitlin wasn’t the only Vaughn in needing to learn a lesson as it was time
to make it clear that no one messed with the Ashford family and got away
with it especially not when they chose to screw with his little sister.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cameron burst through the doors of his mansion while Franklin scurried
to meet his employer, “Franklin, pack a bag for myself and for Heather.
We’re going to the island for a few days,” He instructed as he tugged his
tie loose and proceeded up the stairs, “Is she in?”

“Yes, sir, in her rooms,” Franklin affirmed before he disappeared into
Cameron’s room to pack his bags.

Cameron made his way down the hall and knocked upon Heather’s door.
When he heard her invitation to enter, he stepped inside, “Heather, I wanted
to speak with you.”

“You did?” Heather asked as she placed a stack of papers aside and made
her way towards him. She lightly placed her hand upon his arm, “Cameron,
is something wrong? You seem very agitated.”

“It’s Douglas. He’s being very difficult, and I’m afraid he’s threatened…”
He paused for dramatic effect as he met her eyes, having thought this ploy
through on his way home, “He’s threatened to have you institutionalized
until the baby is born to protect the child. At least, that’s his bizarre
reasoning.”

“What?” She shrieked in horror, “No, Cameron, you can’t let him do that
to me,” She began to tremble, “He doesn’t own me just because I’m carrying
his grandchild. How could he do that?”

“He’s a powerful man,” He explained with a slight shrug, “Money buys
a lot of influence, and it’s an election year. I’m sure he could convince
the right judge to commit you if he promised a very large campaign contribution,”
He reasoned.

“Oh god, this can’t be happening,” She said tearfully as she moved to
a settee and slumped into cushions, “He’ll try to take my baby from me…”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Cameron assured her as he knelt
down before her and took her hand, “Heather, do you believe me when I say
that I don’t want Douglas to take this child from you?” When she nodded,
he continued, “I want to help you hold onto your baby and your freedom.
To do that,” He caressed her hand gently, “We’ll have to get married much
sooner than I’d hoped. There won’t be any time for planning, and no invitations
can be sent. But, Heather, this is the only way to take control out of
Doug’s hands. I’ll be the person the courts would look to for assurance
that you’re a capable mother, and I would make sure they knew that you
wanted nothing but the best for this baby.”

She caressed his cheek gently, “How soon can we be married?”

“Is tomorrow morning too soon?” He offered with a soft smile.

Heather smiled softly, “Tomorrow morning will be perfect. Thank you
so much for looking out for me,” She slipped her arms around him and hugged
him tightly.

Cameron smiled, “It’s my pleasure,” He spoke as he held onto her, knowing
that he finally had Douglas Mahoney just exactly where he wanted him.